It’s almost time for winter break!
So what are you going to do?
While technology time is normal in today’s world (and educationally beneficial at times), taking a break from screens can help little ones’ physical and mental health. They may experience better sleep, improved mood, and even greater attention spans.
But how can you inspire kids to press pause?
Here are 5 of our team’s favorites:
1. Themed-Afternoon Tea: Place tea cups and saucers (many can be found at donation stores) at each place setting with small finger sandwiches (such as egg salad, salmon and cream cheese, peanut butter and jelly, and ham and Swiss) and sweet treats on trays. Don’t forget to include favorite stuffed animals and/or holiday characters to join you!
NOTE: this activity isn’t just for girls! One of our team members has two boys in which she held a dinosaur tea party with all of their dino-figures in attendance and made place cards with their name and favorite raptor.
2. Candy Cane Treasure Hunt: Hide small candy canes around the house for kids to hunt for. Rather than eating them all, let them turn in the candy for holiday-themed prizes such as stickers, chapstick, or crafts.
3. Holiday Baking Contests: Let kids select a holiday-themed recipe to make (mostly) on their own with adult supervision, including decorating. Invite neighbors to judge and reward prizes (like picking a holiday movie for the family to watch or choosing a game for family game night) for Most Yummy and Most Holiday-ish.
4. Kid Giving Day: take a special trip to the store for kids to select items to donate. Whether it be toys, food, clothes, etc., push the shopping cart while they fill it within a set budget.
Tip: afterwards, discuss over tea or hot chocolate, the items they chose, how those things will help others, and how they feel about the experience.
5. Outdoor Fun: Nature is Colorado’s playground, so take advantage of outdoor holiday activities. In addition to ice skating, sledding, snow shoeing, and skiing/snowboarding are other options such as:
- building a snowman or snow sculpture
- having a (gentle) snowball fight
- participating in a holiday 5 or 10k run
- walking around a holiday light display
Taking a break from screens can be just as helpful as taking a break from school. Kids and adolescents need downtime just like adults in order to rest and regroup for both mental and physical wellbeing.
And, you just may enjoy the technology-free activities, too!
The CNMA office provides holistic and naturopathic healthcare for kids and adolescents. For more information, please contact us at (303) 688-6698 or click here to schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation to discuss with Dr. Graves.
The CNMA office provides naturopathic care, acupuncture, testing, massage, and holistic counseling to those in Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Centennial, Parker, Larkspur, Monument, Colorado Springs, and the greater Denver metro area. For those outside of these areas, virtual appointments are available.
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